Loluk Bistro – French Wine & Food in Surry Hills, Sydney

On our recent trip to Sydney for Wine Island, we knew it was going to be a weekend all good wine & food. I am so glad we made it to Loluk Bistro in Surry Hills as this authentic French restaurant hit the nail on the head for an absolutely delicious Saturday lunch.

The lovely team from the Australian Good Food Guide recommended that we check out Loluk and they kindly teed us up with a complimentary lunch. Thank you very much AGFG and the Loluk team for looking after us so well. Especially considering we were sweating like there was no tomorrow from the humidity. The wine couldn’t get down my throat fast enough 😉

I was already slightly familiar with Loluk Bistro. As it was about this time last year I was sent a bottle of the Loluk Bistro Sparkling Brut to taste. They must have known that bubbles were a way to this girls heart!

Anyway enough about me, it’s time to delve into how our first date with Loluk went..

The wine list

Naturally, the wine list is the most important aspect of any establishment right?

In hindsight, we probably should have just ordered by the glass so we could have tried a few of the tipples from the wine list. But alas, my mind was consumed with the thought of the sparkling brut and before I knew it, a bottle was on the way to the table and it was being poured into my glass. Oopps…

It was delicious and even better than I remembered! At $13 a glass or $59 a bottle, I can highly recommend it. Jeeze, I didn’t even write a tasting note for it, which just goes to show how intimate our time together was.

If you can get past the first wine on the wine menu, unlike me, then you’re set for even more tasty delights.

From Champagne Le Brun de Neuville who harvest by hand and age their champagnes 15 metres underground for 4-10 years before being released to Dom Perignon, Sancerre, Chablis, Pouilly Fume, Condrieu, Bordeaux and Chateauneuf du pape….. It’s a drool-worthy wine list for French wine lovers.

There are 3 sizes you can opt for 15cl, 25cl and 50cl or a full bottle. With glass prices ranging from $12.

The food… oh the food

To be honest, I was blown away. I was in love with every aspect of the meal. Thankfully! Because otherwise I would have been devasted, as it took me so long to decide. Yep, I was that person who couldn’t make up her mind!

Our lovely waiter (forgive me for not getting his name) took us through the specials and as soon as I saw ‘Salmon tartare, squid ink, lemon chantilly’ on the list – I was pretty sure I knew what I was going to have to start with.

Prior to our starters, we were brought over some deliciously warm bread and salted butter. So good! Seriously why can’t bread, butter and bubbles all be calorie free???

The starters

This dish is equally beautiful as it is scrumptious. I’d highly recommend Loluk putting this on their regular menu as it was literally to die for. It also matched with the bubbles excellently.

Naomi opted for the ‘Salade de chevre chaud, miel australien’ – aka the goat cheese salad and Australian honey. She overestimated the size of the salad and was nearly too full to fit her main meal in! I had a sneaky taste of her salad and I can confirm it’s yummy.

The mains

For mains, Naomi went for the ‘Margret de Canard rose, gnocchis Provencaux maison’ aka pink duck breast and homemade Provencal gnocchi. Again I had a small taste and it was excellent!

When I was editing these photos I had to laugh about Naomi being at the ready with her knife and fork in the above picture – haha! Sorry for making you wait Naomi!

I decided to go for the ‘Blanc de poulet BIO, compote d’onion et echalotte, patate confite, cebettes’ which translates to organic chicken breast, onion and shallots veloute, confit potato, spring onoin. Which for me translated to mouth-watering deliciousness!

I rarely order chicken when going out, I guess because we have it so much at home. However, this just sounded so good to me and it was definitely nicer than any of the chicken I cook at home!!

The ambience

In terms of the look and feel of Loluk, they really did make me feel like I was sitting in a little bistro in France. The interior design is absolutely beautiful. We sat out the front, however, I think next time we go back I’d love to sit in the little courtyard out the back. That’s if it’s not too hot.

We also had the pleasure to meet Luc. Luc is the owner of Loluk, he is extremely lovely and it was nice to thank him for our beautiful meal.

For those who are Sydney based, or if you’re planning on visiting the city – I’d highly recommend stopping into Loluk for either lunch on Friday or Saturday 12pm-2:30pm or dinner Tuesday-Saturday 6-10pm

You can find Loluk Bistro at 2/411 Bourke St, Surry Hills NSW 2010. For more information check out the Loluk Bistro website or hit them up on Instagram or Facebook. And prepare for French wine and food heaven!